Aiea townhome fire deemed accidental, started in dryer
UPDATE: Tuesday 4:15 p.m.
The Honolulu Fire Department’s investigator on Tuesday determined that the cause of the fire at a townhome at 98-831 Kaonohi St. in Aiea Monday was accidental.
The fire originated at the bottom of the dryer, under its drum, where lint had accumulated and was ignited by the dryer’s heating element, HFD said.
The damage estimate from the blaze was $3,000, including $1,500 to the structure and $1,500 to its contents, fire officials said.
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More than 30 Honolulu firefighters responded to a fire at an Aiea townhome Monday evening that displaced five family members.
The Honolulu Fire Department was dispatched at 5:49 p.m. after a 911 caller reported a fire at a unit of 98-831 Kaonohi St. Nine HFD units, staffed with 32 personnel, responded to the fire. The first firefighters arrived at 5:58 p.m. and found heavy smoke coming through the window of the two-story townhome, according to a HFD news release.
Firefighters used an “aggressive” fire attack to bring the dryer fire under control while looking for people in the unit and protecting neighboring homes. No one was at home at the time of the fire, according to HFD.
Firefighters notified the American Red Cross about the five family members in need of shelter. The fire was brought under control at 6:05 p.m. and extinguished at 6:17 p.m.
HFD’s investigator is looking into the cause of the fire and no damage estimates are immediately available. It is not known if the unit had smoke alarms, HFD said.
Fire safety tips from HFD:
>> Working smoke alarms save lives, cutting the risk of dying in a home fire in half. Smoke alarms should be installed and maintained in every home.
>> Home fire sprinklers protect lives by keeping fires small. Sprinklers can reduce the heat, flames, and smoke produced in a fire, allowing people more time to escape.
>> A home fire sprinkler can control or put out a fire with a fraction of the water that would be used by fire department hoses.
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For more information, visit firesafehonolulu.com
